Under the agreement with Boeing, American plans to acquire a total of 200 additional aircraft from the 737 family, with options for another 100 737 family aircraft. American has the flexibility to convert the new deliveries into variants within the 737 family, including the 737-700, 737-800 and 737-900ER.

As part of the Boeing agreement, American will take delivery of 100 aircraft from Boeing's current 737NG family starting in 2013, including three 737-800 options that had been exercised as of July 1, 2011. American also intends to order 100 of Boeing's expected new evolution of the 737NG, with a new engine that would offer even more significant fuel-efficiency gains over today's models. American is pleased to be the first airline to commit to Boeing's new 737 family offering, which is expected to provide a new level of economic efficiency and operational performance, pending final confirmation of the program by Boeing. This airplane would be powered by CFM International's LEAP-X engine.

American also will acquire a total of 260 Airbus aircraft from the A320 Family and will have 365 options and purchase rights for additional aircraft. American has the flexibility to convert its delivery positions into variants within the A320 Family, including the A319 and A321.

American will take delivery of 130 current-generation Airbus A320 Family aircraft beginning in 2013. Beginning in 2017 American will begin taking delivery of 130 aircraft from the A320neo (New Engine Option) Family featuring next-generation engine technology. The new aircraft are approximately 15 percent more fuel efficient than today's models. American will be the first network airline in the U.S. to deploy this new-technology aircraft.

The A320 Family features cabin interiors with increased overhead storage, reduced noise and ambient lighting options.

American also intends to order 100 of Boeing's expected new evolution of the 737NG, with a new engine that would offer even more significant fuel-efficiency gains over today's models. American is pleased to be the first airline to commit to Boeing's new 737 family offering, which is expected to provide a new level of economic efficiency and operational performance, pending final confirmation of the program by Boeing. This airplane would be powered by CFM International's LEAP-X engine.

American also will benefit from approximately $13 billion of committed financing provided by the manufacturers through lease transactions that will help maximize balance sheet flexibility and reduce risk. The financing fully covers the first 230 deliveries.

Update, 11:30am PDT July 25: The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram summarizes the delivery schedule of the huge AA order. Of particular note: AA doesn’t receive its first 737RE until 2018. This raises the question: is the EIS of the 737RE not until 2018? Or is AA truly not the “launch operator” of the 737RE (we wonder what a certain UK person would have to say about this)?

Original Post:

Wells Fargo issued a note today in which one small segment said:

“One curiosity about Airbus’s and Boeing’s aggressive marketing campaigns to replace AA’s narrow-bodies is the extent to which the manufacturers appear to have cut deals for one of the least profitable airlines in the world.

“We understand the “strategic” importance of AA, but according to consensus estimates AA is not expected to generate any profit until after 2013. Meanwhile, healthier airlines (see Delta, Ryanair, and Southwest above) are also looking at major re-fleeting plans and no doubt will pursue comparably attractive pricing and financing terms.”

The conventional wisdom is that Airbus wanted to penetrate American and brake the Boeing exclusivity, and this is certainly true. We have a broader take.

A key strategic objective was, in our view, forcing Boeing to re-engine rather than go with a new airplane.

Key Boeing personnel had earlier this year told investors’ days and Wall Street analysts that one of their objectives was to wait long enough for Airbus to be irrevocably committed to the NEO program and then spring a trap with the New Small Airplane that would dramatically eclipse the NEO.

It did not, of course, take very long for this to leak out inasmuch as analysts like to write about these things. We reported the reporting, so Airbus clearly understood Boeing’s thinking.

How real the thinking was, or whether it was just bravado, is something that only Boeing could say. But if Boeing could pull off the NSA, Airbus might very well have been in danger of having an obsolete product before it ever flew.

Reuters had this story in which it touched on this very point.

So Airbus had to do what it could to force Boeing’s hand.

John Leahy, COO-Customers for Airbus, predicted all along Boeing’s NSA would not be built and that if a US Boeing operator defected to the NEO, Boeing would re-engine the 737. Re-engining the 737 would make the NSA stillborn, for now.

And this is exactly what happened. Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh says the NSA has now been pushed out to the second half of the next decade, and Airbus officials were strutting that they had forced Boeing into the RE–a view largely held by the aerospace analysts and other observers.

Or is that what’s happened? One source close to the situation says it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Boeing could pull a rabbit out of the hat and forego the RE in favor of the NSA for American. We think Heaven and Earth would have to move, but stranger things have happened.

Two sources with direct knowledge of the competition tell us Boeing was offering the NSA right up until Tuesday night when time ran out and the RE became the default. Albaugh said the next day at the press conference that Boeing could not figure out how to build a composite NSA at the rate of 40-60 a month, and indeed the lack of composite production capacity is something we wrote about months and months ago–not the technological challenges of the NSA itself.

But getting back to the point of this post, strategically forcing Boeing into the RE was probably more important than the AA order. And for this, Airbus’ Leahy probably is going to be the most influential person in commercial aviation this year.

American entered into agreements (the Boeing Agreements) with The Boeing Company (Boeing) on July 19, 2011 to acquire 100 additional Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft (the firm NG Aircraft), which, subject to certain limitations, may consist of Boeing 737-700, 737-800, or 737-900 ER aircraft.

The firm NG Aircraft include three Boeing 737-800 aircraft for which American exercised purchase rights on June 30, 2011. Twenty of the firm NG Aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in each of the years 2013-2017. Under the Boeing Agreements, American also expects to acquire 100 Boeing 737 Next Generation “re-engined” aircraft (the Re-Engined NG Aircraft), to be equipped with new, more fuel efficient engines.

American’s acquisition of Re-Engined NG Aircraft is subject to a number of conditions, including Boeing’s approval of the launch of the Boeing 737 re-engined aircraft program and negotiation of definitive agreements with Boeing to acquire such aircraft.

If acquired, 20 Re-Engined NG Aircraft would be scheduled to be delivered in each of the years 2018-2022.

In addition, under the Boeing Agreements, American acquired purchase rights for 40 additional Boeing 737 Next Generation Aircraft, which, if exercised, would be delivered in the years 2015-2018, and purchase rights for 60 additional Boeing 737 Next Generation “re-engined” aircraft, which, if exercised, would be delivered in the years 2020-2025.

Boeing agreed to provide primary lease financing to American for the firm NG Aircraft. If American elects to use this lease financing on any firm NG Aircraft, then subject to certain terms and conditions, including the absence of defaults under certain other agreements, BCC Equipment Leasing Corporation (a subsidiary of Boeing) or a third party arranged by Boeing will enter into a lease for such aircraft with American for an initial term of ten years.

Each lease will include customary terms and conditions, including covenants regarding maintenance, operation, registration, liens and insurance with respect to the aircraft, as well as defaults relating to payment and performance of lease obligations and certain cross-default arrangements.

If American does not elect to lease any firm NG Aircraft using the lease financing provided by Boeing, American may purchase such aircraft using other financing provided by a third party and arranged directly by American.

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American entered into agreements (the Airbus Agreements) with Airbus S.A.S. (Airbus) on July 20, 2011.

Under the Airbus Agreements, American committed to lease 130 Airbus current generation A320 family aircraft (the firm Current Generation Airbus Aircraft) which, subject to certain limitations, may consist of A319, A320 or A321 Aircraft, and committed to purchase 130 Airbus A320 family “new engine option” aircraft (the firm NEO Airbus Aircraft), to be equipped with new, more fuel efficient engines.

Between 20-35 of the firm Current Generation Airbus Aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in each of the years 2013-2017. Ten firm NEO Airbus Aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2017 and thereafter between 20-25 firm NEO Airbus Aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in each of the years 2018-2022.

In addition, American acquired 70 options and 15 purchase rights for additional Airbus current generation A320 family aircraft, which, if exercised, would be delivered in years 2014-2017, and options for 280 additional Airbus A320 family “new engine option” aircraft, which, if exercised, would be delivered in the years 2017-2025.

Under the Airbus Agreements, subject to American’s rights to purchase firm Current Generation Airbus Aircraft in certain circumstances, and subject to certain terms and conditions, including the absence of defaults under certain other agreements, the firm Current Generation Airbus Aircraft will be financed under leases with initial terms of ten years with Airbus or one of its affiliates, or with a third party arranged by Airbus.

The leases will include customary terms and conditions, including covenants regarding maintenance, operation, registration, liens and insurance with respect to the aircraft, as well as defaults relating to payment and performance of lease obligations and certain cross-default arrangements.--------------------

American Airlines has moved to quash speculation that a dramatic fall in its stock price on 3 October is a precursor to a Chapter 11 reorganisation.

American and its parent AMR have repeatedly prided themselves over the fact the carrier has never filed for Chapter 11, especially during the 2000-2010 timeframe when every other US major entered a formal restructuring.

The result is American has battled consistently higher labour costs than its peers and is currently in negotiations with a large number of employee groups to achieve more cost effective collective bargaining agreements.

Shares of American Airlines on the New York Stock Exchange closed at $1.98 on 3 October, roughly 33% below the 30 September close of $2.96. The precipitous decline triggered a freeze in trading of the company's shares. But American issued a statement explaining the pause in trading was due to automatic triggers established by the exchange that pause trading based on share price volatility.

American's chronic financial under-performance compared with its US legacy peers has bolstered speculation during the last few months that the carrier would enter bankruptcy protection, and the plummeting share price has intensified that sentiment.

However, American on 3 October specifically stated: "That is certainly not our goal or our preference. We know we need to improve our results, and we are keenly focused as we work to achieve that."

American is also facing higher than expected rates of pilot retirements this autumn, and has sought relief from the Allied Pilots Association on staffing stipulations in the current contract.

Wall Street has been scrutinising American's under-performance relative to its peers for quite some time. Weeks ago analysts at CRT highlighted American's unit revenue growth lagged behind the industry in every region during the second quarter, noting that American's domestic unit revenues grew by 4.9% compared with 8.9% for the industry.

While American's stock decline on 3 October was dramatic, the carrier's share price has been on an overall decline since it announced a record order with Airbus and Boeing on 20 July. From that time to mid-August its share price fell roughly 25%.

American while acknowledging its structural problems, has also asked for patience from the financial community as it institutes long-term strategic moves designed to reverse its fortunes including its "cornerstone" strategy to focus the majority of its flying in Dallas, Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles as well as its new joint venture agreements with its Oneworld partners over the Atlantic and Pacific.

American has roughly $1.3 billion in debut maturities due in 2011, and recently the carrier launched a $726 million enhanced equipment trust certificate (EETC) to offset some of that debt.